Scotty: Swingin' - I nearly did a spit-take when he reminded me that he was only 17. He's so ridiculously good. I am wondering though about the microphone placement though after that video opening. If he isn't in the bottom three, after going first and getting slightly negative feedback from the judges, then he will WIN. Those are two strikes that others have not been able to battle against.

And, he was not in the bottom three that week, and last night, he won. Boom. Congrats to Scotty!

Hey everybody- I know there was some concern in the blogosphere because I posted a non-american idol post earlier today, and blew out my blogging chords. But I promise, my doctor has come out and reported on my condition, and we are prepared to move on. Here are my thoughts on this night of performance, one day earlier than I'm used to doing:

Scotty - Gone - great pick to start the evening.

Lauren - Damage is done - appropriate title given the state of her vocal chords. At first I thought it was a little much to bring out the doctor, but if you didn't know that and heard that performance you would be wondering what went wrong.

Scotty - Check Yes Or No - Good song - right up his alley. He is here to kick tail and take names.

Lauren - Maybe it was Memphis - She looks like she's in a fog - Her last song had better just kill it otherwise it won't be a fair fight.

Taio Cruz - Positive - Negative.

Scotty - I Love You This Big - This song works, but the chorus isn't great for his voice. And "big" is not a great word to sing, in general.

Lauren - Like My Mother Does - Okay, that was great. Finally we have a competition - that song was so superior to Scotty's from a songwriting perspective. And can you go wrong with a young adult teenager singing to her mom?

It's funny to me how all season the routine is that the first night was always the big one to watch and the results show was always a throwaway, just tell us who won. And then the last week, the first night is the throwaway, and the big finale results show has U2 and Spiderman on it.

Who's gonna win it? Who will be in it to win it tomorrow night? Will Spiderman fall on Bono? Or will he walk on the Edge?

Well it's been an interesting week for pop culture, everyone getting over the fact that no one obviously Christian had been raptured after Saturday had passed. There were several items I saw on the pop culture landscape today that I thought were worth mentioning, so here goes:

First, it's been exactly one year since LOST gave us a Series Finale worth talking about. Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen offers up part one of a commemorative piece about the show and its themes today, focusing in on the spiritual themes of the show and his take on them. You can read that article here.

Secondly, Lady Gaga released "Born This Way" the complete CD today - I had the opportunity yesterday at Starbucks to stream the entire collection on my computer, and I have to say that her faithful re-creation of the best parts of eighties music arrangement and production was practically a religious experience for me. But lyrically, she has never been more in tune with exploring the spiritual side of things: songs about God, Jesus, Mary, Judas... she may be picking and choosing from the religion buffet table lyrically, but she knows a great pop riff when she steals (writes) it...

And third, it was announced today that Mark Burnett of "Survivor" fame has been contracted by the History Channel to create a series called "The Bible", which will combine live-action and CG effects to tell selected stories of the Bible. Could be interesting. Read a tiny article about that here.

And if you would prefer to listen to my dulcet tones describing that which I see all around me in the world of pop culture through the internets and directly onto your favorite mp3 player, please subscribe to my podcast! The Pop Culture Pulpit is ready for you - just uploaded a new episode yesterday - and if you have listened to the show and enjoyed it, I would love it if you headed over to the iTunes page and left positive feedback. Apparently that kind of feedback is very valuable in that area of the internets... so help me help me!

Beyonce's in the house yo. Which one of our three finalists will come to play this week? Here are my thoughts, as always, before Randy says that same thing he says every week involving winning, and it:

Scotty - Amazed - Good to see he found a place to rest his arm on that piano. A solid performance - still bugged by his arms without a guitar, but he's still 17. And sang a love song to Beyonce without soiling himself.

Lauren - Wild One - Good showing - missing a little bit of the sparkle towards the end - it's funny, it's like she doesn't have enough gas in the tank to sustain the energy of an uptempo song. But I still enjoyed it.

Haley - What Is And What Should Never Be - Haley haters beware, she just won the first round - this is not forced, this is genuine rock and roll in a pretty package that is for real. And then she wiped out. And so the Haley haters rejoiced. That was like Janis Joplin meets the Wilson sisters. Awesome.

Scotty - Kiss Me Or Not - Yay, guit-box! That was a great song, great pick by Jimmy - what a fun anthem for a country singer that I love even though I don't like country.

Lauren - If I Die Young - http://www.katielunn.org/

Haley - Rihanna - I think the wind is a bit cheap theatrics, but hey, it's in the lyric, right? I think while this totally fits Haley, I would have to say that of the three Iovine picks, this was the less successful of the three. It was a great song, but it's so moody and doesn't really build. Loved the slow beginning though.

Beyonce - girls run this - wha?

Scotty - She Believe in Me - I love this song. Most girls think that guys want something else, and while there may be truth in that, it's all cleverly disguised in the lyrics of this song - that's what guys really want. Great pick from the judges.

Lauren - I Hope You Dance - I like this song too, but I'm a little over it in this arena, too many hopefuls have attempted it - but it was Lauren's most confident of the night for sure.

Haley - You Oughta Know - The lyrical substitution for this for a family show is necessary but so unfortunate for the meaning. Wish she had changed the melody for the verses so it wasn't so low, but I loved the chorus.

Only four left, and it's getting down to the wire. But hey, Lady Gaga is here, so there's that. If only she was releasing an album to coincide with all this publicity she seems to be getting.

Here are my thoughts, as always, written before the judges say anything about the performances... here we go!

James - Don't Stop Believin' - I like this, but I like this other version too... http://youtu.be/Vm7GN_pWbmQ

Haley - The Earth Song - Uh oh. Okay Haley haters, you're dead on with this one - when your inspiration song is boring, it does not bode well.

Scotty - Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning - This pick is as smart as Haley's was dumb. Great pick, and I loved it - I also loved that his holding a guitar keeps him from doing all those goofy things with his arms and fingers.Lauren - Anyway - Solid performance for sure. I think the song is a little too mature for her - I kinda felt like she got a little glassy eyed in the lyrics, but she sounded great, and those swooping blue notes were slideriffic.

After round one: Haley is going home. Not only because she picked the worst song, but because her snippy attitude showed up after the criticism. So even though I like her it's possible that she may not be like-able.

Haley - I Who Have Nothing - Not sure if the Fatal Attraction vote is gonna come out to help her, but man, Lady Gaga couldn't have given her better advice. Can't wait to hear Randy say that she's back and in it to win it.

Scotty - Youngblood - After that video package I wanted to see Scotty walk out in a Lady Gaga meat dress. This was just all-right for me, maybe just because my only real connection with this song is from a Bruce Willis album with his harmonica in the 80s. Wasn't good enough, but he isn't going home.

Lauren - Trouble - Great sassy performance. A little shaky on the last could runs, but still a fantastic "out of the comfort zone" performance.

James - Love Potion #9 - Solid, not great but everyone will love it. He didn't move his hips enough in performance. A little too indulgent of an ending with two audience-stops, but hey, when you can hit those notes, I guess you can do that.

Quote of the night: Lady Gaga: "Give em a little 'I'm crazy & I'm a laugh away from a tear.'"

So after round two: Did Haley save herself? Will one of these uptempo songs put Haley's MJ tune out of people's memory?

It's top five time - only three weeks until the big finale, and details are already leaking out. But let's not worry about that now - let's just dive into the contest - here are my thoughts, and I won't say "who's in it to win it" the entire time. I promise.

Sheryl Crow is the guest mentor this week. One song from "today" and one from the 60s/70s. Mkay.

James - Closer to the Edge - Of all of his high end performances this may be my least favorite - not because he didn't nail it, but just because the slower melody didn't complement his ability as well as songs that are filled with eighth notes. It's still a not-to-miss circus act though.

Jacob - No Air - What is this dance he's doing? We are a part of a Jacob Nation? Ummm no. He's got an amazing voice, but that was an indulgent performance.

Lauren - Flat on the Floor - Another good reminder of how ridiculously good Carrie Underwood actually is. She did a great job handling the constant barrage of lyric. Best so far by far.

Scotty - Gone - When he took off for the chorus I was waiting for the Howdy Doody marionette strings to pull him up into the catwalks. He needs to figure out what to do with his off arm when he's not using it to touch the mic with his finger. He holds it close to his chest and it looks weird. But that was one solid performance. He's the one unless Lauren steals it from him.

Haley - You and I - Jimmy was right in that this song is a great fit for Haley - kind of makes me wonder how in the world Lady Gaga pulls it off. There was risk in this choice for sure, but I think it paid off, mainly because the song has such a familiar chord progression.

James - Without You - I was wondering when the family was gonna come back into the picture - well played, sir. Pretty good build, but kind of ironic that for most those high notes as written would be unattainable and for him he has to sing above the melody to really challenge his range.

Jacob - Love Hurts - This is a great song. This is a much better fit for him, and I can't wait to hear Randy say how right he was. You can see him trying to cry and be autistic as hard as he can. One sour note. But he turned it into gospel and it worked.

Lauren - Unchained Melody - Barbra Mandrell called and wants her pant-dress back. Other than that she kind of ran out of riff ideas at the end of the song, it was great. She doesn't understand that song, but she can sing it.

Scotty - Always on My Mind - Again, you have to be absolutely floored by how polished this KID is as a vocalist. Is there anyone out there who sounds this studio-ready in a live performance?

Haley - House of the Rising Sun - Fantastic - I know there are Haley-haters out there, but I just don't get it. The risk of Gaga and the recovery of the Animals should buy her another week at least. Bam.Random Notes:Clearly Ryan is unaware of what the Full Monty actually is. Surprising.So far Jacob is not "in it to win it." This does not bode well for him if one can trust the Randy Jackson Platitud-ometer.So who is going home? My money is on Jacob, but Haley could go bye-bye with ga-ga.Standing O for Haley? Okay, now, I know that she did a great job, but I feel like Nigel whispered in their ears and said "stand up and clap!" O the drama!